By Joseph Degreenia, Virginia Tech and Kari Weis, University of Missouri

This morning we woke up to one of the most scenic views. Looking out of our bungalows we saw dairy cows grazing on pasture over the mountain side, and palm and lime trees bordered the brick pathways leading up to our doors.

After another breakfast comprised of delicious fruits, breads and coffee, we traveled 10 minutes from Brumadinho to Inhotim, the world’s largest open air museum.

This outdoor museum was created for two purposes, to address environmental education and showcase contemporary art. Prior to being a museum, the land was a large farm. Inhotim is now owned by the Brazilian government. It employs over 1,000 employees and contains more than 4,500 native and exotic plant species, making it the largest collection of living species in Brazil. It is also home to the greatest palm tree collection in the world.

Sabrina, our tour guide, lead us around stoned pathways through the botanical beauties, and over bridges, which were filled with vibrant fish. We saw a variety of plants such as, the King’s flower, water bananas and the most important palm variety in Brazil, the Imperial Palm.

We toured a few of the contemporary art galleries, which featured pieces like the Red Room and Glove Trotter by Cildo Meireles. Everyone walked away feeling inspired by the art!

From there we boarded the bus for a four hour trek south to Barbacena. Here we are staying at SENCA Grogoto, a hotel which trains students for the hotel and restaurant management track. It hosts many international students and most of us ended the night relaxing in the hot tub!